The IAM’s movement to unionize America’s pharmacy industry continues to gain momentum. For the first time since launching The Pharmacy Guild (TPG), pharmacists and technicians at Walgreens are taking the next step for their patients by seeking a union election. The store in Vancouver is also the first workplace in Washington State to join TPG’s union movement, and the seventh nationwide.
The latest wave of organizing highlights the pressing need for change in corporate-owned community pharmacies, propelled by the mounting demands on its workforce. Pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, and interns have scored historic union election victories at CVS Omnicare in Nevada and CVS Health stores in Rhode Island, driven by a mutual dedication to ensuring patient safety.
READ: First Walgreens pharmacists file to join new national union MedPage Today
At the Walgreens store in Vancouver, pharmacy professionals report being assigned heavy workloads with inadequate staffing. Higher prescription volumes, vaccination appointments, and ancillary tasks build up throughout the day, resulting in longer wait times for patients and competing priorities for pharmacy professionals. In light of these challenges, the pharmacy staff is banding together, unified by the desire to ensure safe patient care, safe working conditions, and dignity.
“We care deeply for our patients – their health and safety is our top priority in this drive to unionize,” the Vancouver Walgreens workers said in a group statement. “We are united with a strong majority to make positive change. We call on Walgreens to not only respect our rights to unionize, but to actively work with us to improve conditions for both patients and pharmacy professionals.”
READ: Walgreens pharmacists seek to join Pharmacy Guild Supermarket News
Prior to filing for their election, the Vancouver Walgreens workers requested voluntary recognition. Federal law provides an avenue for employers to voluntarily recognize unions that demonstrate majority support. In this case, Walgreens did not respond. The workers subsequently filed their petition for an election with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB).
“The issues we have heard from pharmacy professionals are not limited to a single employer or part of the country,” said Pharmacy Guild co-founder Shane Jerominski. “Having worked at Walgreens, I am all too familiar with the challenges these professionals are unionizing to address. This is a widespread industry crisis that demands dynamic solutions. We’re so pleased to see Walgreens workers standing up for themselves, and ultimately their patients.”
The new filing is the seventh TPG filing in just five months, after the first-in-the-nation victory in March. Pharmacy professionals across the country cite the challenges of securing safe staffing levels as a major safety issue for their patients.
READ: First Walgreens store files to unionize with the Pharmacy Guild MedCityNews
The post Pharmacy Professionals in Washington State Become First Walgreens Workers to File to Unionize with the IAM’s Pharmacy Guild appeared first on IAMAW.